STOKE ST MARY AND DISTRICT HISTORY GROUP

STOKE ST MARY HISTORY GROUP

Annual General Meeting, 23 April 2024

Chairman’s Report for 2023-24

The History Group’s Annual General Meeting took place on 4 April 2023, and in addition six meetings of the committee were held. We were pleased that Jon Tarr agreed to join the committee during the year.

At the AGM Bob Croft, County Archaeologist, told us about recent archaeological work in Somerset. He described the exciting discovery of the medieval bishop’s palace at Wiveliscombe, remarkable Roman remains found outside Crewkerne, and many other sites identified chiefly as a result of development work. Bob has become a popular visitor to the History Group over several years. We were grateful to have his update on the wide-ranging archaeological work he has been helping to monitor or lead.

Bank Holiday events in Stoke St Mary to celebrate the Coronation of Charles III in May included a historical display arranged by the History Group and hosted by Stoke Chapel. The display contained early parish documents made available by the Somerset Heritage Centre, memorabilia relating to the Coronation of 1953 and a range of other historic material.  

On 15 June the History Group was welcomed to the new Avalon Archaeology Centre at Shapwick. The site manager, Natalie Watson, showed us historic reconstructions painstakingly recreated in recent years by some very able volunteers. Buildings they have vividly brought into existence include an Iron Age roundhouse, a Roman dining room complete with hypocaust and mosaics, and a Saxon longhall based on Alfred the Great’s royal palace at Cheddar. We also saw what claims to be the oldest surviving archaeological site hut in the world.

On 7 September, almost the hottest day of the year, there was a well-attended visit to the remarkable house and grounds at Halswell Park, Goathurst. The mansion, mostly of 1689, may have been designed by William Taylor, who also worked for the Portmans at Orchard House. After long neglect the building is being carefully restored. We stood on the flat roof and through the heat haze had a view over Somerset countryside to Bridgwater Bay. After tea, we saw some of the continuing work to restore the landscaped grounds and their features, including the beautiful Temple of Harmony. 

A talk in the Village Hall on 7 November had as its subject ‘The Squires of Stoke St Mary’. The talk ranged widely over several centuries and described the deeds and misdeeds of a large cast of characters, including members of the Doble, Burridge, Anderdon and Patton families. The Burridges and the Anderdons, we discovered, both had links to slavery.

One final event took place on the cold clear evening of 13 January, when a large group met at Dairy House Farm to re-enact the ancient wassail ceremony. In the 19th century Stoke was renowned for producing ‘some of the best cider in the kingdom’, and it seems likely that wassailing has a long history in the parish. First, we gathered in the barn, where Sally Baker, after agreeing to be our Wassail Queen, was invested with her ivy crown and pitchfork. Then she led us out into the night where toast was placed in the branches of the chosen tree for the benefit of the robins, and cider was poured round its roots. A shotgun volley (provided by Jon Tarr), the loud singing of the wassail song, and ‘rough music’ from the banging of pots and pans, completed the formal part of the occasion. We were very grateful to the Parsons family for all they did to welcome us, to Derek Parsons and the band for excellent music, and to Stephanie Crockett, Secretary of the History Group, who organised the event.

The History Group continues to depend fundamentally on its committee members, and on their enthusiasm, ideas and commitment. We’re especially grateful to Stephanie Crockett, our Secretary, for her essential contribution, as well as to Sarah Baddeley who ensures the excellence of the website and has now also created a History Group Facebook page. John Pugh is generous with his time and skills as our Honorary Treasurer, and we’re very pleased that Graham Salter serves as our President as well as being the source of much wisdom and information about the past.

Tom Mayberry

Chairman

23 April 2024